July, 2020 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Saturday’s Rainbow 6 Pool At Gulfstream Park Guaranteed For $650,000

The 20-cent Rainbow 6 jackpot pool will be guaranteed at $650,000 Saturday at Gulfstream Park.

The popular multi-race wager went unsolved for the ninth consecutive racing day Friday, when multiple tickets with six winners were each worth $3,034.14.

The carryover jackpot is only paid out when there is a single unique ticket sold with all six winners. On days when there is no unique ticket, 70 percent of that day's pool goes back to those bettors holding tickets with the most winners, while 30 percent is carried over to the jackpot pool.

Saturday's Rainbow 6 sequence spans Races 7-12, including the $60,000 Sea of Tranquility in Race 11.

Kenny McPeek-trained Harvey Wallbanger, who pulled off a 29-1 upset victory in the 2019 Holy Bull (G2) at Gulfstream, is scheduled to return off a 10-week layoff in the 1 1/16-mile overnight stakes for 3-year-olds and up.

Kukulkan, the 2018 Mexican Triple Crown winner who captured the Copa Confraternidad del Caribe by six lengths during the Championship Meet, is set to come off a six-month layoff Saturday in search of his third stakes victory over the Gulfstream track.

Multiple-stakes winner Noble Drama, Hal's Hope (G3) 60-1 upset winner Identifier, Coaltown Handicap victor Eye of a Jedi, Sunshine Millions Sprint Preview winner Red Crescent, and Rough and Ready winner Quenane round out the field.

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Spa Notes: Country Grammer Possible for Runhappy Travers

Paul Pompa, Jr.’s GIII Peter Pan S. hero Country Grammer (Tonalist) could make his next appearance in the GI Runhappy Travers S. at Saratoga Aug. 8, the owner told the NYRA notes team Friday.

“If he comes back well, the Travers would be the logical spot. It’s coming back a little soon but so far, so good,” Pompa, Jr. said. “We always have liked this horse, but the COVID-19 situation has created gaps, just due to lack of racing.”

A $60,000 Keeneland September yearling turned $450,000 OBS April breezer, Country Grammer broke his maiden going nine furlongs over the Aqueduct last November and resumed with an even fifth to Ete Indien (Summer Front) in the GII Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth S. Feb. 29. He was a wide-trip third in Belmont allowance company June 4, but enjoyed a smoother run in transit in Thursday’s Peter Pan, sneaking through at the rail turning for home before outlasting ‘TDN Rising Star’ Carocaro (Uncle Mo).

Country Grammer became the second graded winner for his second-crop sire in the Peter Pan. The other, Tonalist’s Shape, is the morning-line favorite for Saturday’s GI CCA Oaks at Saratoga.

Dayoutoftheoffice Likely to Reappear During Meet…

Dayoutoftheoffice (Into Mischief), who gave trainer Tim Hamm his first Saratoga stakes winner when upsetting Thursday’s GIII Schuylerville S. at odds of 19-1, is likely to contest one or both of the graded races for juvenile fillies at the Spa over the course of the next six weeks.

“The [GII] Adirondack S. [Aug. 12, 6 1/2 furlongs] is a possibility and the [GI] Spinaway [Sept. 6, seven furlongs] is possible. I don’t know if we would do both or [just] one of the two. But we’ll probably run her up back there at least once.”

Owned by Hamm in partnership with breeder Siena Farm, Dayoutoftheoffice–who led home an Into Mischief exacta–posted a front-running, 4 3/4-length debut victory over 4 1/2 furlongs at Gulfstream May 14. Hamm was confident that his filly would relish the extra real estate in the Schuylerville.

“It’s the kind of read we had on her training up to her first race. We thought the 4 1/2 [furlongs] might be too short for her,” he said. “But she got that down, and I was optimistic she wanted to run farther than that. I believe if she stretches out, she’ll be able to handle that as well. If you don’t look good there, it closes a lot of doors. But if you win, you have options open, and you just want to lay out a good schedule now and get her where she needs to be.”

Tap It To Win Aiming For Jerkens…

Live Oak Plantation’s Tap It To Win (Tapit), who defeated GIII Peter Pan S. hero Country Grammer in the aforementioned June 4 allowance ahead of a low-odds fifth to Tiz the Law (Constitution) in the GI Belmont S. 16 days later, breezed a half-mile in :48.09 Monday morning and will shorten back up for the seven-furlong GI H. Allen Jerkens S. presented by Runhappy at Saratoga Aug. 1.

“He’s looking good. We’re going to the Allen Jerkens with him and he should fit well in there,” said Jamie Begg, assistant to trainer Mark Casse. “I think the cutback to seven-eighths is good and we’ll be able to sit off the speed and make a run.”

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‘He Was My Idol’: Wesley Ward Saddles Saratoga Winner For Hall Of Famer Steve Cauthen

Winning any race at Saratoga is highly rewarding for trainer Wesley Ward, but a victory from Palace Avenger in a Thursday six-furlong allowance held sentimental value for the conditioner winning on behalf of co-owner and longtime friend, Hall of Fame jockey Steve Cauthen.

Ward, who was a jockey for five years before transitioning to training in 1989, grew up idolizing Cauthen, who piloted Affirmed to victory in the 1978 Triple Crown at the age of 18 before moving to Europe due to weight restrictions in the United States.

“He was my idol,” Ward said.

Owned by Cauthen's Dreamfields in partnership with Don Brady, Mark O. Board and John Gaynor, Palace Avenger notched a second career win, arriving at the event off a runner-up finish at Churchill Downs at 29-1.

“It's always nice to win for a guy like Steve,” Ward said. “He's really a class act. Just a guy you really want to win for because he's such a great person.”

Ward began riding in 1984, just five years after Cauthen moved his tack to Europe, where he would go on to become a three-time champion jockey in Great Britain. During their careers as riders, both Cauthen and Ward were represented by agent Lenny Goodman.

Partnering in campaigning Thoroughbreds together is something that both Cauthen and Ward had always talked about doing.

“I always watched him from afar,” Cauthen said. “After I retired, I would see him at the sales and the track. We'd always stop and chat with each other and we would say 'We've got to get together' and we finally did.”

While Cauthen made his mark in Europe as a champion rider in the 1980s, Ward is currently making a name for himself as a trainer. Ward is known for having a knack with training young horses and sending some of his talented young horses to Europe, including Lady Aurelia who was named European Champion 2-Year-Old Filly in 2016.

“I'd say his job was harder,” Cauthen said. “It's a lot to take on going over there with a horse that's never run over a course like the ones in Europe, and he's figured it out. Not just at Royal Ascot, but at France and all over the place.”

Cauthen has some familiarity with the family of Palace Avenger, having piloted the daughter of Palace's grand dam Chimes of Freedom to victory in the 1989 Group 1 Moyglare Stud and 1990 Coronation Cup, both Group 1.

“It's a good family,” Cauthen said of the Private Account mare who also produced 2003 Champion Sprinter Aldebaran and multiple graded stakes winner Good Journey. “Chimes of Freedom was a chestnut with a white blaze so her and Palace Avenger are similar in that regard. They're about the same size, about 16 hands. The biggest similarity between the two is that they both try. That's the part you can't see when you buy them.”

A start against stakes company could be on the horizon at some point for Palace Avenger.

“I think that's what we're on the lookout for somewhere. We've talked about it a little bit,” Cauthen said.

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Gargan To Saddle First Runhappy 2-Year-Old At The Spa

Highly regarded freshman stallion Runhappy will have his first progeny race at the Spa when Peachy Queen faces a field of 10 juvenile fillies in Sunday's seventh race going 5 ½ furlongs over the main track.

Runhappy, the 2015 Champion Sprinter now standing at Claiborne Farm, captured that year's Grade 1 King's Bishop at Saratoga for owner Jim McIngvale, traveling seven furlongs in a stakes record 1:20.54.

Owned by West Paces Racing, Peachy Queen is out of the Gio Ponti broodmare Year of Promise who is a half-sister to Grade 1 winners Smiling Tiger and She's a Tiger.

The bay filly has been training forwardly for Danny Gargan at Saratoga most recently posting a bullet half-mile work in 48.20 seconds over the main track.

“She's doing really well,” Gargan said. “I'd like to get her started and get a good race out of her. She's a really sweet filly and very laid back.”

Bred in Kentucky by Fred W. Heitrich III, Peachy Queen was purchased for $180,000 from last year's Keeneland September Yearling Sale, where she was consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency.

Jockey Manny Franco will be aboard from post 6.

Live Oak Plantation homebred Our Flash Drive, a Florida-bred Ghostzapper filly, is training sharply for Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse and could provide steep opposition.

Our Flash Drive breezed a half-mile in 47.46 seconds on July 5 on the Belmont main track in company with Cotton, a 2-year-old New York-bred colt who finished a good second in his July 12 debut at Belmont which garnered a 54 Beyer Speed Figure.

“She outworked Cotton that day pretty handily,” said assistant trainer Jamie Begg.

Our Flash Drive will exit post 10 under Joel Rosario on debut and Begg said the filly will benefit from being outside horses.

“I'm happy she drew outside. I think with this filly it may suit her fancy,” said Begg. “Joel is good at making them settle and the way the track played yesterday, she can pick up the speed.”

Out of the unraced Dynaformer mare Dynamotor, her third dam, Slew City Slicker, produced Grade 1-winner Pool Land.

Trainer Todd Pletcher will debut Maryland-bred Lucifers Lair, a bay Quality Road filly owned and bred by Stuart Grant's The Elkstone Group.

Lucifer's Lair is out of the graded stakes-winning Put It Back broodmare Devil's Cave and arrives at her debut off a sharp breeze from the gate at Belmont Park going a half-mile in 48.04 seconds.

Jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. will be aboard from post 9.

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